Cave rescue in Laos

Hope for Breakthrough in Laos: “Less than 20 Meters Left”

Rescue teams are making progress in the operation at a cave in Laos where seven gold prospectors are trapped, Reuters reports.

Team leader Kengkard Bongkawong says water pumping will continue around the clock once they reach the underwater shaft believed to lead to the trapped people.

“We estimate there are less than 20 meters left before we reach the most important area,” he says.

Footage published by Lao Phattana News shows rescue workers in helmets crawling through narrow passages by flashlight. Others wade slowly through muddy, chest-deep water deep inside the cave. Among those participating are divers from the group that rescued a football team from a Thai cave in 2018.

Seven people stuck in cave in Laos – major rescue operation

Seven people are stuck in a cave in Laos and have been for almost a week. Now there is a race against time as the water level continues to rise, writes the BBC.

The group is said to have entered the cave to look for gold, among other things. But rain and a landslide meant that they could not get out again. One of the people who managed to get out after all, raised the alarm and a major rescue operation has been ongoing since then.

Experts who helped with the operation in Thailand in 2018 after a football team was stuck in a cave are said to be assisting the operation.